Baby stuff costs a fortune. OUchi-Mama!
That darling little bassinet will be too small in a few months if that baby grows as you hope. It’s smart to think about choosing items that the baby won’t grow out of so quickly. As well as choosing better quality that can be used for the second child (or beyond), some clever gear transforms!
We went to the Australia’s biggest baby shop to find out what’s hot AND STILL SENSIBLE. We interviewed George Gregory from Baby Kingdom. George gave us some insight into the baby products that mums want most and also explains that it is possible to future proof your baby purchases. We also checked with new mums to see what they thought.
So instead of more baby booties, get the gang to Group Together give her one great gift that will stand the test of time!
According to George, parents are interested in single prams that have options for converting into double or twin prams in the future. So which brand then? “Bugaboo seems to be the brand that many expecting mums want.”
We saw this season’s colour options. They feel like a fashion accessory. Apparently Baby Kingdom stocks special editions so your pram will be spesh. George said that the new Niark1 range of hoods and fabrics as well as some other designs such as the cameleon3 kite edition and the donkey weekender edition are incredibly popular at the moment.
At $1700 + for a Bugaboo, it’s not normally thought of as a gift. But if about 20 friends chipped in $50. Boom! One dream pram delivered!
If you’ve collected more money than you need, maybe add a baby sitting service voucher to push it around the block while mum gets some sleep. Or a cleaner.
Well cots don’t really grow in the night, but those sweet babies do. My GroupTogether business partner Julie Tylman and I both have twins and more, so our houses felt like baby furniture showrooms at times but even regular variety families don’t want to store a cot for two years + between each baby.
George tells us parents are now looking for “product longevity”. “Parents want products that will not just be usable for a couple of years but they also want products that can evolve and adapt as bub grows up. Most of the cots that we sell can expand as your child’s needs change. Cots such as the Boori Provence are quite popular at the moment. Not only does it fit the bill in terms of aesthetics but it also converts from being a cot, to a toddler bed and then after bub is around 5 years old, it converts to a full size double bed and sofa with an extra expansion kit”.
“The cocoon nest 4 in 1 is also very popular, it converts from a bassinet, into a cot, a junior bed and it can also be converted into a table and chair set after your child has grown out of it.
Ever carried the tired toddler and pushed the baby at the same time? Ugh!!!
George says that this pram is the biz. “The UppaBaby Vista is one of our most popular twin strollers, it comes as a single out of the box with the main seat and bassinet, then you can also purchase the second seat as well as the piggy back board which will allow you to push three children all at once – this is the sort of expandability that parents expect from strollers and why it is as popular as it is at the moment” .
Apart from the joy I felt at the safe arrival of each child, one of my favourite days was getting rid of all that horrible plastic baby paraphernalia – 4 car seats, 2 plastic high chairs etc. But the baby world is a prettier place now, and smarter. George says “parents also want this expandability in their high chairs, products such as the Stokke tripp trapp can be used from 6 months all the way up to 80kg, which is quite remarkable. Recently we have even seen the iCandy Mi chair which has just been released that can be used as a newborn rocker with the newborn pod, a high chair and even a toddler chair for up to 6 years of
age”.
Ever collected from friends before? The awkwardness of the endless reminder and inevitably getting left short. There’s a better way. GroupTogether.com makes it easy. It’s free and easy to set up. Then they do the rest: invite, collect, remind, create a group card and transfer the money or transfer an e-gift voucher to you. Done!
Want to group together to give one awesome gift that will be lovvvved! Check out these.
We don’t sell gifts. We just make it easy for you to collect money from friends